


Legacy

by Mundivore



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Distant future, Fluff, Immortality actually isn't too bad, Multi, Prompt Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 23:43:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15011990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mundivore/pseuds/Mundivore
Summary: Stevonnie is the last of the Crystal Gems, but not the last of their family.





	Legacy

Star-watching was one of those hobbies Stevonnie hadn’t always enjoyed in the same way. At first, it had been romantic, enticing. Calming, enriching. An exploration of the cosmos. At one point, it had been an ill reminder of the struggle against Homeworld. Unwelcome, trite, and tiring. But even that grew old, the trauma growing older, insignificant. The stars became routine, as much a part of seeing the world as the air. A period of time where Stevonnie had deluded themselves into believing that the night sky was tired and boring, predictable and driven by routine. The winding down of the universe, played out in slow motion.

But in the end, the universe’s majesty overcame all cynicism. Night by night, Stevonnie grew enamored again with the beauty of the sky. The shifting constellations enraptured them, new stars becoming visible as they approached or died, some stars fading away as they grew old, or burnt up in beautiful novae. The movement of the stars in the sky, not just night to night or month to month, they became enrapturing. As Stevonnie began to see the changes that took eons, they grew more and more connected with the heavens.

Seeing the little changes over the course of many hundreds of hours, and trying to map out and guess the shapes, courses, positions of objects in the night sky. That was one of Stevonnie’s many hobbies. Eons were built an hour at a time, and Stevonnie thought it was reasonable enough to spare merely a few of those hours a week to take a guess as what might come next.

Stevonnie’s observatory was another of their hobbies. Well, less an observatory, and more a glass dome atop a spire. No telescopes, that would be cheating. The first spire Stevonnie built was a replacement for the lighthouse over the temple after an earthquake brought it down, but it had become a habit to try to built each new one sturdier than the last. It became a challenge, even.

This one, sixty-first of its kind, had been a particularly good attempt at permanency. For twelve thousand years, the curling tower of metal had watched over the temple. Not yet nearly as long as its predecessor, but there were no signs of wearing. It had promise.

It was about improvement. Stevonnie improving their home, improving themselves. The lighthouse itself wasn’t needed at all. The beach, the shore, the very ground beneath the temple had all long eroded. Now, all that was left was a platform of earth and the temple itself, left to float freely in the waves and kept buoyant only by some ingenious mechanism of Peridot’s invention.

“Hope she left an instruction manual somewhere. I’d hate to figure it out on my own.” Stevonnie chuckled to themself. “I almost feel like I’ve done enough of that business for my whole life.”

A light danced in the heavens above.

“Hm,” Stevonnie figured, tracing its path with a finger. “That one’s new. Aha.”

They gestured broadly with one hand, and some internal mechanisms of the tower lit up in response. The lights which had been dim for Stevonnie’s star-watching glew brightly again, and the glass dome overhead lit up and vanished, letting in the gentle rain. A circle of lights gently advertised a landing spot towards the center of the ex-dome, and Stevonnie beckoned the light in.

Steadily, slowly, it grew into a small hovering vehicle with a light at the front, like a sphere that had been squashed on the sides. It deployed three spindly legs as it approached, and settled down with a wobble and a quiet  _ floomph _ on the landing pad _. _ One of the flat sides of the vehicle opened out, revealing a short woman with dark skin and wild brown hair. She wore bulky muted robes that made her look almost swaddled in a blanket. In her arms, she carried a small bundle with the utmost of tenderness. It consumed all her attention as she carefully disembarked her craft, and only after she was on solid footing did she even consider looking up to Stevonnie. Well, towards Stevonnie at first,  _ then _ up.

“Woah,” she muttered. “Big.”

“Indeed,” they said, chuckling warmly. As Stevonnie’s components had reached adulthood, Stevonnie hadn’t stopped growing with them. Now, their size was truly epic, nearly three and a half meters tall and quite nearly half as broad. They made a gesture to resummon the dome to protect them from the rain.

“I am Stevonnie,” they said, squatting down so that they could offer a hand to the visitor. She took it, and though Stevonnie’s hand dwarfed hers, they closed it with the greatest gentleness. A large bracelet quietly jangled on Stevonnie’s hand as the two shook. “May I ask what brings you to this Temple Island?”

“I… I…” The woman withdrew her hand hesitantly, cradling the thing she was carrying. “I’m here because I don’t know what to do. Peridot said that— that if I’m lost, or I didn’t know what to do, I could come here. And find people who would help me. Her family.”

“Ah,” Stevonnie said, wistfully. “I suppose that makes your arrival bittersweet news. You’d be June, then? Pleased to meet you.”

June paused for a moment before she responded.

“Eh—yes. How did… how did you know my name?”

Stevonnie sat down cross-legged, so that they could meet their visitor in the eyes.

“Peridot was quite fond of you. Despite how private she was about her relationships, I heard quite a bit about you over the years. I had begun to suspect I’d see you here, one day.”

“Then… then you know that…” June stopped as Stevonnie nodded gently.

“It was bound to happen at some point. I’m happy she found a person she cared so much for, if a bit disappointed she chose not to introduce us, first.”

June hung her head.

“You knew her, then.”

“For quite nearly all my life. She was an aunt of sorts, to me.”

“I, I’m so sorry! This shouldn’t have happened, I…” June began to well up. “I’ve hurt you so much. We—”

Stevonnie reached out, and rest one of their massive hands on June’s shoulder.

“Now, June, now now. You cannot regret what you’ve done. You must be strong, and lovely, and all those things which Peridot saw in you. Steel yourself. You aren’t alone, and never will be.” June peered up, and saw not a trace of sadness in Stevonnie’s expression.

“But she’s, she’s dead now,” June stammered, quietly. “Won’t you miss her?”

“I’ll miss her like I miss the setting sun,” Stevonnie promised. “Like I miss a beautiful day, or a prefect meal. I loved Peridot very much, and I’ll miss her dearly. But I’m also excited. She saw something great in you, and so she made something great with you. Peridot… she cared for building things, more than any person I ever knew. So I am especially excited to see what you and her have made together.”

June sniffled.

“I… how can you do that? Have such faith in me, out of nowhere?” She laughed. “I’m not sure  _ I _ have that much faith in myself. I don’t know… I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing, here. If I deserved… any of this. I don’t know I did.”

“I’m not sure anyone you know, anyone you love, has died,” Stevonnie said, quietly. “But it certainly used to be quiet commonplace. Death, for all living things, is inevitable. It’s something Peridot knew better than most of my… aunts. She was deeply in tune with the Earth, and with being a living being. She knew what she was getting into.” 

“She wasn’t though, was she?” June rubbed at an eye. “She was a gem. Like a magic alien robot, kind of? Right?”

“Not organic,” Stevonnie said, smiling. “But she was still alive. You can’t dispute that.”

June thought a second, and laughed with a shake of her head. More tears welled up as she smiled.

“No, you’re right.” She sniffled, and giggled a little. “Full of life.”

“Full of life,” Stevonnie echoed. “There’s one way that gems, though, are unique compared to organic life. Gems can’t ordinarily die. They have alternatives—they either live on, they’re put into a form of stasis, a deep sleep… or, sometimes, they suffer something worse than death. But there is a way for a gem to die. It requires an act of true, pure love. And that is why, in my eyes at least, death being inevitable for gems is not such a bad thing.”

They reached up, and gently touched June’s cheek. Their hand was almost as large as her head. June sniffled again, and pressed into it. 

“You are complicit in a truly powerful act of love, June,” Stevonnie said. “I would love to welcome you into my family.”

“Yes,” she sobbed. “Yes, of course. Thank you.”

“And your…” Stevonnie trailed off.

“My daughter,” June said. Gently, trembling, she held the baby in her arms out for Stevonnie to hold. “At least, for now. You know how it is.”

Stevonnie gave a rumbling laugh as she accepted the sleeping baby girl-for-now. The child had Peridot’s brilliant green gem, looking almost uncomfortably large on her tiny forehead. Her sparse hair curled upward extremely to either side, making her look already on the verge of mad science.

“Yes, of course. That’s how it is. What’s her name?” 

June laughed, blinking as she rubbed her eyes free of tears.

“Oh, it’s the funniest thing. Peridot wanted to name her after a plant, or an animal, or something. She worried over it for days, and days, and days. And so I asked her about ideas she had, and she’d lay back with me and tell me about all the different things that had lived on Earth while she’d been here… all kinds of creatures and trees and plants that had changed, or had gone extinct, or that were new and interesting. It was so fun, but she was always a bit frustrated at the end, because she didn’t have a name. One day, she thought of ‘Bumblebee,’ but I misheard her, and thought she said ‘Humblebee.’” 

She giggled to herself a little. “But you know, I’d never heard of a bumblebee, so that seemed perfectly reasonable to me. So I asked her about what humblebees were like, and she misheard me too, thinking I’d heard her correctly. She told me about how they lived in colonies, and were big and round, and pollinated the flowers, and made a happy buzzing noise all the time, and drifted and wobbled all around, and they made more honey that they ever could do anything with. And I said, ‘Wow! That sure does sound humble to me!’ But Peridot didn’t know what I meant, and I said, ‘Well, they’re called humblebees,’ and she said, ‘No, I said bumble, bumble!’”

June paused, and smiled, looking lovingly down at her daughter.

“And I said, ‘Wait! I like that.’ And Peridot did, too. So we named her Bumble.”

Stevonnie considered the weight of the child in their arms. Soft, tiny as little Bumble was, they felt a greater weight entrusted in them. Stevonnie smiled softly.

“That’s a beautiful story.”

“Peridot said… she said that her second name should be Humble. And that if it was okay… if it was okay with the rest of her family, that she should have the family’s name. So is it…” 

Stevonnie grinned.

“Bumble Humble Universe certainly does have a ring to it. You have my blessing.”

A weight looked like it had left June’s shoulders.

“Oh. Oh, thank you. I can’t thank you enough for—”

Stevonnie waved it aside.

“Family. No thanks needed, no questions asked.” Bumble began to stir in Stevonnie’s arms. A little cry left her before Stevonnie gently handed her back to her mother.

“It’s late. What were your plans for night?”

“I… I’ve got blankets in the car, and—”

“Unacceptable. There are guest rooms enough for an army down below. I’ll get you into the best one until we can fix up Peridot’s room for you and Bumble, and you can stay as long as you like.”

“I… I can’t make you do that!” June said. “I’d hate to be—”

“I’ve lived in this same temple for fourteen hundred thousand years,” Stevonnie said. “We love seeing new company come and go, I insist beyond insistence. You can meet the rest of the family, too—they aren’t all here right now, but we’ll have a dinner to celebrate you.”

“I—they won’t be upset?” June shrunk a little. 

“Of course not. Come with me,” they said, holding out a hand. “It’ll make sense when I show you.”

June reached out her hand cautiously, then found her nerves and took Stevonnie’s with confidence. Stevonnie stood—it’d be an exaggeration to say that June helped them up, but she certainly did try—and then carefully reached forward, lifting June into their arms. Bumble gave a little babble of excitement as they were lifted up.

“Omygosh,” June mumbled. “I feel tiny. Be careful, please?”

Stevonnie chuckled, dismissing the dome.

“Don’t worry, I do this every night. Do you like flying?”

“I—yes, but—”

“Here. We. Go!” Stevonnie laughed boomingly as they thundered forward, leaping off the edge of the platform. June squealed, squeezing her eyes shut as the night air hit her hair, and Bumble in her arms began hiccuping and laughing as they went. June eventually cracked an eye open as she gradually realized that they weren’t falling. She peered over the edge of Stevonnie’s arms, and then looked back to them.

“We’re floating!” Wonder filled her eyes.

“Not quite,” Stevonnie said, stepping carefully, slowly through the air. It was like taking an invisible staircase. “But yes, more or less.”

“You have powers,” she said, in wonderment. “Like Peridot!”

“Magic runs in the family,” they said with a grin. “The little bumblebee here is going to run you round in circles when she gets older.”

“I… oh. Oh, wow. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“My dad hadn’t, either,” Stevonnie chuckled. “Well, one of my dads. My family situation is a little complicated.”

June continued looking down in silent wonderment as they walked down to the base of the temple, a sturdy yet welcoming-looking metal platform waited for them. Like a more rugged patio, with odd and artsy chairs decorating the outside. As they landed, June was finally able to digest where she was. The outside of the temple—a giant statue of a many-armed woman—was mounted with a massive building, built in a hodgepodge and myriad of styles. The main entry room still looked familiar to Stevonnie, though. A tribute to their history. A bookshelf covered the left side of what once was Steven’s entire house, and stairs led up to a lounge where his bed once was. There was still a kitchen where the kitchen once was, though it had been expanded out to the right. Where the bathroom door used to be, now led to Peridot’s room—a bit of a running joke that had never left. In the back, near the temple’s main door, stairs and passageways led to the rest of the building.

“Who’s that?” June whispered, pointing at the tall figure whisking something in the kitchen. They were pale, with a tall and vaguely pink hairstyle, and were wearing something close to a tuxedo despite appearing to have nowhere to go (and being in the middle of cooking).

“They’re Kendle,” Stevonnie said. “Pearl’s kid.”

“Pearl?”

“Another one of my aunts,” Stevonnie said, with a happy sigh. “Kendle’s the oldest in the family, aside from me.”

“Wait, so… you said you lived here for, like, a million and a half years. You weren’t exaggerating?”

Stevonnie shook their head. 

“I’m afraid not. Kendle and I old farts, compared to the rest of you lot.”

“I… wow. How is that… how is that even possible? I mean, I know that technology was able to cure aging, like, a long time ago… but aren’t there still limits? Your brain gets too crowded, or something? And surely we haven’t been able to deal with age for  _ that _ long?”

“Right on all counts,” Stevonnie said with a nod. “We’ve been cheating.”

“Cheating?”

Kendle turned their head, and called out loudly.

“QC, batter’s done! Come on down!” Their voice was both nasal and sing-songy. Before they turned back, June caught a glimpse of a shiny oblong spheroid embedded in their forehead.

“A gem,” she whispered, understanding. “They’re half gem.  _ You’re _ half gem.”

“One-quarter, actually,” Stevonnie corrected.

“I… see.” June tapered off. “So that means your aunt Pearl, she was a gem, too? She was like Peridot?”

“Mhm,” Stevonnie said with a nod.

“And so she… she’s dead, now?”

“For a long, long, while. Over thirteen hundred thousand years.”

“And you’re one-quarter gem, so that would mean one of your parents was like… like Bumble, then? Half-gem?”

“Ah, no. Not quite.” Stevonnie grinned. “I’m a bit weirder. Did Peridot ever tell you about fusion?”

“Maybe once, in passing. Two gems, can become one gem? A single person? I didn’t quite understand it.”

“Mm. Well, a half-gem can fuse with both other gems, and also with other humans. My name, Stev-onnie, it comes from two people. Steven and Connie. Together, they make me. I get my gem through Steven, and he’s like Bumble, and like Kendle in there.”

“Woah,” June went back to looking through the window. Kendle shouted something up the stairs again, almost naggingly. “That’s… weird.”

Stevonnie shrugged.

“Warned yah.”

“Not, like, in a bad way!” June stammered a little, as she realized what she’d said. “It’s just like, like weird. ‘Cause you’re both in there, right?”

“Steven and Connie are here, if that’s what you mean. They’re parts of me.”

“So like, what’s that like? What’s it like, being two people, or one people, or whatever, all the time?”

“Hm… It’s like getting to hug someone you love, and never ever having to let go. Or it’s like… oh, how did Garnet say it?” Stevonnie smiled as they remembered something. “It’s like you got to choose to never have to be alone.”

“Wow.” June was silent for a while, as she let that sink in. “How many ah, aunts, did you have?”

“A lot,” Stevonnie said, chuckling. “Many, many. Peridot was the last, though. I always expected Garnet to hang around the longest, but now, that’s a love story for another time. A lot like mine, in a few ways.”

They set June down as her eyes began to go downcast. Stevonnie nudged her to get her attention.

“Chin up,” Stevonnie said, smiling without reservation. “All the rest of humanity gets to outlive their parents’ sisters. Or at least, they usually did. I’m just catching up to the trend.”

A pair of kids looking to be in their late teens hurtled down the stairs in the back, but June noted the brilliantly shining gems in their hands and realized that she had absolutely no idea how old they might actually be.

“Quinne has the blue gem and the red hair, she’s probably the one that asked for the cookies,” Stevonnie said, leaning over to mutter into June’s ear. “Callie has the red gem and the blue hair, she’ll probably eat most of them if you aren’t fast enough. They’re Garnet’s twins.” 

Stevonnie straightened up, and beckoned June to follow. 

June looked ahead, and saw Callie bouncing with a grin as she pointed out the new arrivals. Kendle turned and started a bit on seeing June, but then beckoned her in with a welcoming smile. Quinne leaned against a counter, looking comfortable and completely unsurprised. That was what lay ahead—June looked back behind her and saw only the rainy, briny sea the temple floated in, and looked back to the warm indoors. Stevonnie waited, holding the door open for her. 

June smiled, squeezed Bumble tight to her chest, and stepped inside. She was greeted by the strong scent of vanilla and unbaked cookie-dough, and an irrevocable, undeniable sense of home.

**Author's Note:**

> Done for a prompt challenge. The challenge: write a fluffy fic to the prompt 'Steven/Connie, everyone else is dead.'


End file.
